Time to Dump the Rectangular Stress Block?

1
Doug Jenkins
1
Principal, Interactive Design Services Pty Ltd

Synopsis: Since the early days of ultimate strength design of reinforced and prestressed concrete the
concrete stress distribution has commonly been approximated with a rectangular stress block, applied
over a specified proportion of the zone of concrete in compression. This provides a simple design
procedure, and for the concrete strength grades used in the past it provides a good level of accuracy. With
the release of the current version of the Australian Standard Concrete Structures Code (AS 3600 – 2009)
it has been necessary to modify the parameters of the rectangular stress block for concrete strength
grades of 65 MPa and higher, because of their higher strain before reaching yield, and much reduced
stress plateau after yield. This paper compares the results of the revised rectangular stress block with
those from the main international codes, and with stress-strain distributions closer to the actual behaviour
of high strength concrete. Both rectangular and non-rectangular sections are considered. These
alternatives are compared for consistency, reliability, and ease of use, and recommendations are made
for the appropriate use of the rectangular stress block or other less simplified alternatives in a design
context.

Keywords: rectangular stress block, stress-strain, moment capacity, AS 3600, ACI 318, Eurocode 2,
interaction diagram

1. Introduction
The simplification of the compressive stress distribution in a reinforced concrete section by a rectangular
stress block (Figure 1) is widely accepted both in Australian codes (e.g. AS 3600 (1), AS 5100 (2)) and by
international codes (e.g. ACI 318 (3), Eurocode 2 (4)). The basis of this approach is that by factoring the
ultimate concrete stress and the depth of the stress block it is possible to generate a simple stress
distribution that has exactly the same total force and lever arm as a more complex distribution that more
closely follows the actual stress distribution in a real concrete section. For concrete strengths up to 50
MPa the codes examined in this paper apply a fixed factor to the concrete strength and either a fixed or
variable depth of the stress block, based on a rectangular section. This provides a close match to the
actual concrete behaviour for rectangular sections, or sections where the neutral axis is within a
rectangular top flange, and an acceptable level of accuracy for non-rectangular sections. For higher
concrete strengths the strain at yield is higher, and the width of the stress plateau after yield is much
reduced (Figure 2). For these reasons it is necessary to adjust the rectangular stress block factors for
concrete strengths over 50 MPa, to maintain a close approximation to the actual behaviour of the
concrete.

Figure 1. Rectangular stress block (Eurocode 2 Figure 3.5)

2. Code Stress Block Factors

2.1 General
In this paper the results from the current AS 3600 rectangular stress block are compared with the
rectangular stress blocks from other codes, the parabolic-rectangular stress block from Eurocode 2 and
the concrete stress-strain diagrams shown in Figure 2. The other codes considered are:

 The Australian Bridge Code, AS 5100 (2), and the previous version of AS 3600 (5).
 The American Concrete Institute Building Code for Structural Concrete, ACI 318 (3)
 Eurocode 2, Design of Concrete Structures (4)
For ease of comparison the nomenclature used in AS 3600 is used for the equivalent factors in all the
other codes. The rectangular stress block is defined by the following parameters and factors:
 f’c = characteristic compressive (cylinder) strength of concrete at 28 days
 The maximum strain in the extreme compression fibre, here designated ε ur
 α2 = stress reduction factor accounting for both the lower long term strength of concrete under
sustained load (AS 3600 Cl 3.1.4), and the variation of the actual concrete stress from the
assumed rectangular block (AS 3600 Cl 8.1.3 (b)). This factor is in addition to any Ultimate Limit
State (ULS) reduction factors or partial safety factors.
 The limit of the stress block, defined by a line parallel to the neutral axis under the loading
concerned, and located at a distance γk ud from the extreme compressive fibre, where k ud is the
depth of the neutral axis from the extreme compression fibre.
Where different symbols are used in other codes these are stated when the factor is first defined.
The various codes also have significantly different provisions for application of ULS capacity and stress
reduction factors, but these are outside the scope of this paper.

2.2 AS 3600 and 5100; Australian Standards for Concrete Buildings and Bridges
The provisions of AS 5100 and the previous version of AS 3600 (AS 3600 – 2001 (5)) are identical for the
provisions relating to the rectangular stress block:
 εur = 0.003
 α2 = 0.85 (no symbol was given for this factor)
 γ = [0.85 – 0.007 (f’c – 28)] within the limits 0.65 to 0.85 (symbol used = γ)
 The maximum concrete grade covered by the codes = 65 MPa.
In the current AS 3600 (as revised in Nov 2010) these factors have been adjusted to allow for concrete
grades up to 100 MPa:
 α2 =1.0 − 0.003 f′c (within the limits 0.67 ≤ α2 ≤ 0.85)
 γ = 1.05 − 0.007 f′c (within the limits 0.67 ≤ γ ≤ 0.85)
Note that the new provision for α2 only affects concrete with a cylinder strength greater than 50 MPa, and
the provision for γ is almost unchanged from the previous version because the minimum value of 0.67 is
applicable to any concrete with a grade greater than 55 MPa.

2.3 ACI 318; American Concrete Institute Building Code for Structural Concrete
The provisions of ACI 318 are very similar to AS 5100:
 εur = 0.003
 α2 = 0.85 (no symbol given)
 γ = [0.85 – 0.05 (f’c – 28)/7] within the limits 0.65 to 0.85 (symbol used = β1)
 No maximum concrete grade is specified
2.4 Eurocode 2, Design of Concrete Structures
Eurocode 2 has detailed provisions for either a rectangular, a linear-rectangular, or a parabolic–
rectangular stress block. The code provides recommendations for all factors, but some may be specified
within the National Annex of the country where the code is used. In the case of the α factor the equivalent
factor in Eurocode 2 is αct.η, where αct has a recommended value of 1.0, but the UK National Annex value
is 0.85. For the purposes of this paper a value of 0.9 has been used for consistency with the AS 3600
reduction on concrete cylinder strength specified in Clause 3.1.4.

4
εur = 0.0035 for concrete to grade 50, 0.0026+ 0.035[(90-f’c)/100] for grades over 50 MPa (symbol
εcu3)
 α2 = 0.9 for concrete to grade 50, 0.9(1.0 – (f’c – 50)/200) for grades over 50 MPa (symbol αct.η)
 γ = 0.8 – (f’c – 50)/200] within the limits 0.60 to 0.80 (symbol used = λ)
 The maximum concrete grade covered by the code = 90 MPa.
For the parabolic-rectangular stress block Eurocode 2 defines the stress as
   c   for 0  c  c2
n

 c  f cd 1  1    (1)
  c2  

Where fcd is the design compressive strength, taken here as 0.9f’c, and c2 is the strain at reaching
maximum stress.

3. Concrete Stress-Strain Relationships

AS 3600 states that “The stress-strain curvature for concrete shall be (either) assumed to be of curvilinear
form defined by recognized simplified equations … (Cl. 3.1.4)(1). For the purposes of this paper the
simplified stress blocks specified in the codes have been compared with the results of using the stress-
strain relationships published by Collins et al. (6) and that specified in Eurocode 2 for non-linear structural
analysis (C. 3.1.5)(4).
The curve proposed by Collins et al. has the same form for ascending and descending stress, but the
coefficient varies for the descending part, depending on the concrete strength:

c   n (2)
  c 
  c0 
nk
f 'c  
n  1   c 
  c0 

 f  n
 c 0   c  (3)
 Ect  n  1

where k = 1 for c  co, k = 0.67 + (fc/62) for co  c, n = 0.8 + (fc/17) and Ect = 3320 (fc)
0.5
+ 6900, with fc
in MPa.

The Eurocode 2 curve has the same form and coefficients for both ascending and descending stress:

c k   2
 (4)
f cm 1  k  2

Where: η = c/c1, εc1 is the strain at peak stress and k = 1.1 Ecm × |εc1|/fcm
0.31
εc1 is given by: 0.0007 fcm < 0.0028
0.3
Ecm = 22000(fcm/10) MPa
The equation is valid up to the nominal ultimate strain, εcu1, equal to 0.0035 for cylinder strengths less than
4
50 MPa, and given by: 0.0028 + 0.027((98 – fcm)/100)
fcm in Eurocode 2 is defined as the mean value of the concrete cylinder compressive strength, and is given
by fcm = fck + 8 MPa where fck is the characteristic compressive cylinder strength of concrete at 28 days.
For the purposes of this paper fcm in Equation 4 has been replaced by f’c (fck in Eurocode 2), since the
ultimate strength is based on the characteristic compressive strength, rather than the mean strength.
Stress-strain curves using these two equations are shown in Figure 2 for concrete strengths of 30 MPa,
60 MPa and 90 MPa.

3.1 Equivalent Rectangular Stress Block; Rectangular Sections

For a rectangular concrete section, or where the compression zone is entirely within a rectangular section,
it is possible to find a rectangular stress block that will result in exactly the same ultimate bending capacity
as that derived from any non-linear stress-strain relationship:
 The height of the rectangular stress block must be chosen so that the centroid is in the same
position as the centroid of the area under the stress-strain curve.
 The uniform stress for the rectangular stress block must be equal to the average stress under the
stress-strain curve.
With a neutral axis depth of x below the extreme compression flange, if the non-linear stress-strain curve
centroid is at k.x above the neutral axis, and the average stress is a.f’cu, where f’cu is the design maximum
concrete compressive stress then:
 The rectangular stress block height factor, , = 2(1 – k)
 The stress factor, 2. = a/

100

90

80
Collins 30
70
EC2-1-30
60
Stress, MPA

EC2-2-30
50 Collins 60
EC2-1-60
40
EC2-2-60
30
Collins-90
20 EC2-1-90

10 EC2-2-90

0
0 0.0005 0.001 0.0015 0.002 0.0025 0.003 0.0035 0.004
Strain

Figure 2. Stress-strain curves for concrete f’c = 30 MPa, 60 MPa and 90 MPa

3.2 Equivalent Rectangular Stress Block and Code Requirements

Table 1 shows the equivalent rectangular stress block parameters derived from the three non-linear
stress-strain curves described above, compared with the parameters specified in AS 3600, Eurocode 2,
and ACI 318. Figure 4 shows ., equal to the normalised average stress, plotted against concrete
strength, and Figure 5 shows (.)(1 - /2), equal to normalised stress x lever arm.
 Table 1. Code and Equivalent Stress Block Parameters

Concrete Equivalent Stress Block Parameters Code Rectangular Stress Block Parameters
Strength Eurocode 2 Non- Eurocode 2
fc MPa Collins Linear Parabolic AS 3600 ACI 318 Eurocode 2
           
25 0.833 0.821 0.858 0.840 0.876 0.832 0.850 0.850 0.850 0.850 0.900 0.800
32 0.812 0.806 0.852 0.820 0.876 0.832 0.850 0.826 0.850 0.821 0.900 0.800
40 0.797 0.787 0.844 0.800 0.876 0.832 0.850 0.770 0.850 0.764 0.900 0.800
50 0.788 0.762 0.833 0.780 0.876 0.832 0.850 0.700 0.850 0.693 0.900 0.800
65 0.784 0.725 0.813 0.757 0.804 0.732 0.805 0.670 0.850 0.650 0.833 0.763
80 0.770 0.698 0.791 0.738 0.758 0.709 0.760 0.670 0.850 0.650 0.765 0.725
90 0.749 0.687 0.783 0.728 0.744 0.706 0.730 0.670 0.850 0.650 0.720 0.700

0.75

Alpha * Gamma * (1 - Gamm/2)

0.44
0.70
0.42
Alpha * Gamma

0.65 0.40

0.38
0.60
0.36
0.55
0.34
0.50 0.32

0.45 0.30
25.0 35.0 45.0 55.0 65.0 75.0 85.0 25.0 35.0 45.0 55.0 65.0 75.0 85.0
f'c f'c

Collins EC 2-NL EC 2-P AS 3600 ACI 318 EC-2-R Collins EC 2-NL EC 2-P AS 3600 ACI 318 EC-2-R

Figure 3. Stress block parameters: . Figure 4. Stress block parameters: (.)(1 - /2),

4. Section Capacity

Moment capacity vs. axial load interaction diagrams have been generated for three different cross
sections (rectangular, circular, and I-section, see Table 2), with three concrete grades (32 MPa, 65 MPa,
and 90 MPA). The following stress-strain curves were used: “Collins” model (Collins); Eurocode 2 non-
linear (EC2-NL); Eurocode 2 Parabolic-Rectangular (EC2-P); AS 3600 Rectangular (AS 3600); ACI 318
Rectangular (ACI 318); Eurocode 2 Rectangular (EC2-R); and the rectangular stress block equivalent to
EC2-P (Equ-R), as defined in Section 3.1. For consistency with the requirements of AS 3600, and to
avoid differences in procedure outside the scope of this paper, the following procedure was adopted:

 Calculations were in accordance with the requirements of AS 3600 Cl. 8.1.2 (Basis of Strength
Calculations) and Cl. 3.1.4 (Stress-strain curves).
 No capacity reduction factors or partial safety factors were applied. The calculated moment
capacity is therefore the ultimate strength in bending, Mu, in AS 3600 terminology.
 Where the maximum stress of stress-strain curves or stress blocks was based on the concrete
cylinder strength this stress was factored by 0.9, in accordance with AS 3600 Cl. 3.1.4
 The maximum stress used for the EC2-NL stress-strain curve was based on the characteristic
cylinder strength, fck, rather than the mean cylinder strength, fcm.
 Reinforcement was taken to have an elastic-plastic stress-strain curve with a yield stress of 500
MPa, and an elastic modulus of 200 GPa.
 The stress of reinforcement in the compression zone was reduced by the stress applied to the
concrete at that level, to correct for the area of concrete displaced by the steel.
 The section ultimate bending moment was taken about the centroid of the gross concrete section.
 Table 2. Section details

Rectangular Circular I-Section

Dimensions, mm 1000 x 350 deep 600 dia 1000 x 200
400 to 200 x 200
200 x 300
400 to 200 x 200
1000 x 200
Reinforcement 10-N16 Top 12-N20 10-N16 Top
10-N20 Bottom 10-N20 Bottom
Cover, mm 40 Both faces 30 40 Both faces

10000 18000
9000 16000
8000 14000

Axial Load, Nu, kN

Axial Load, Nu, kN

7000 12000
6000
10000
5000
8000
4000
6000
3000
4000
2000
1000 2000

0 0
200.0 300.0 400.0 500.0 600.0 700.0 800.0 400.0 500.0 600.0 700.0 800.0 900.0 1000.0 1100.0
Bending Moment, Mu, kNm Bending Moment, Mu, kNm

Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R

Figure 5: Rectangular Section; 32 MPa Figure 6. Rectangular Section; 65MPa

20000 9000
18000 8000
16000 7000
Axial Load, Nu, kN
Axial Load, Nu, kN

14000
6000
12000
5000
10000
4000
8000
3000
6000
4000 2000

2000 1000

0 0
400.0 500.0 600.0 700.0 800.0 900.0 1000.0 1100.0 1200.0 1300.0 1400.0 200.0 300.0 400.0 500.0 600.0 700.0 800.0
Bending Moment, Mu, kNm Bending Moment, Mu, kNm

Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R

Figure 7: Rectangular Section; 90 MPa Figure 8. Circular Section;32 MPa

14000 18000

16000
12000
14000
10000
Axial Load, Nu, kN
Axial Load, Nu, kN

12000
8000 10000

6000 8000

6000
4000
4000
2000
2000
0 0
400.0 500.0 600.0 700.0 800.0 900.0 1000.0 1100.0 1200.0 400.0 600.0 800.0 1000.0 1200.0 1400.0 1600.0
Bending Moment, Mu, kNm Bending Moment, Mu, kNm
Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R

Figure 9. Circular Section; 65 MPa Figure 10. Circular Section; 90 MPa

 14000 25000

12000
20000
10000
Axial Load, Nu, kN

Axial Load, Nu, kN

15000
8000

6000
10000

4000
5000
2000

0 0
1000.0 1500.0 2000.0 2500.0 3000.0 3500.0 4000.0 4500.0 1000.0 2000.0 3000.0 4000.0 5000.0 6000.0 7000.0 8000.0
Bending Moment, Mu, kNm Bending Moment, Mu, kNm

Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R

Figure 11. I Section; 32 MPa Figure 12. I Section; 65 MPa

35000

30000

25000
Axial Load, Nu, kN

20000

15000

10000

5000

0
1000.0 2000.0 3000.0 4000.0 5000.0 6000.0 7000.0 8000.0 9000.0 10000.0
Bending Moment, Mu, kNm

Collins EC2-NL EC2-P AS 3600 ACI-318 EC2-R Equ-R

Figure 13. I Section; 90 MPa

 The interaction diagrams were calculated for axial loads between zero and the load at which the
neutral axis passed through the base of the section.
 The strain at the compression face (εur) used in conjunction with the curvilinear stress-strain
curves was chosen to maximise the ultimate bending moment at the balance axial load, in
accordance with AS 3600 Cl. 8.1.2 Note 1(b). The value of εur used for each concrete strength
and section type is shown in Table 3.
 The position of the neutral axis for each load was found using Brent’s Method and Numerical
Integration for the curvilinear stress-strain curves and the circular sections. For the rectangular
stress blocks with sections made up of one or more trapeziums a closed form solution was used,
based on solution of the quadratic or cubic equation for the axial load.

Table 3. εur for Curvilinear Stress-Strain Curves

Section Type
f'c Rect Circ I Sect
32 0.0032 0.0035 0.0025
65 0.0029 0.0031 0.0028
90 0.0030 0.0033 0.0030

The following conclusions may be drawn from these analyses:

 The concrete stress-strain relationship had little effect on the section capacity for axial loads up to
about half of the balance load.
  The Collins curve gave progressively increased capacity, relative to the other curves. With the
rectangular section it was the most conservative at 32 MPa, slightly conservative at 65 MPa, and
the third least conservative at 90 MPa.
 The EC2-NL curve followed the same trend, but from a higher base, being mid-range at 32 MPa,
and the least conservative, other than ACI 318, at 90 MPa.
 The EC2-P curve was in the mid-range for all concrete strengths for the rectangular section.
 The AS 3600 stress block was also in the mid-range for all concrete strengths for the rectangular
section.
 The ACI 318 stress block was very close to AS 3600 at 32 MPa, but was significantly less
conservative than any other curve at 90 MPa, with a bending capacity about 40% higher than the
EC2-P curve for the circular section at the balance load.
 The EC2-R stress block was least conservative at 32 MPa and most conservative at 90 MPa
(other than for the circular section, see below).
 The Equ-R stress block was almost exactly equivalent to the EC2-P curve, upon which it was
based) for the rectangular section, as would be expected. It followed the same trend as the other
rectangular stress blocks for the other sections (see below).
 The results from the rectangular stress blocks were increasingly unconservative with increasing
concrete strength for the circular section. The difference between the Equ-R bending capacity
and the EC2-P capacity at balance load increased from about 1% with 32 MPa concrete to about
9% with 90 MPa concrete.
 The difference between the AS 3600 bending capacity and the EC2-P capacity for the circular
section at balance load was about 5% with 90 MPa concrete.
 The rectangular stress blocks were increasingly conservative with increasing concrete strength for
the I-section. The difference between the Equ-R bending capacity and the EC2-P capacity at
balance load increased from about -1% with 32 MPa concrete to about -8% with 90 MPa concrete.

5. Conclusions

The stress-strain relationships published by Collins et al.(6) (Collins), and the curve specified in Eurocode
2 (4) for non-linear structural analysis (EC2-NL) are based on the behaviour of unconfined concrete and
have steeply descending paths after the peak stress is reached. The Eurocode 2 parabolic-rectangle
curve (EC2-P) has a constant stress from the peak stress up to the limiting strain, but the strain range
used in the rectangular part of the curve is reduced for high strength grades. The Collins curve was found
to be conservative compared with the EC2-P curve with 32 MPa concrete, but with relatively greater
capacity for higher strength grades where the strain increment between the peak stress and the limiting
strain is much less, with a reasonably close match between the two at 65 MPa, and a maximum moment
capacity about 5% higher than the EC2-P curve at 90 MPa. The EC2-NL curve followed the same trend,
but with moment capacities about 8% greater than the Collins Curve at 32 MPa, reducing to 2% at 90
MPa. The EC2-P curve is therefore relatively more conservative with higher strength grades, which is
appropriate because of the reduced ductility of high strength concrete. The EC2-P curve has therefore
been used as the benchmark for comparison with the rectangular stress blocks.
The rectangular stress block equivalent to the EC2-P curve (Equ-R) was found to give almost exactly the
same results as the EC2-P curve with the rectangular cross section. This is to be expected because the
Equ-R parameters were determined so that the average stress and the lever arm for the two distributions
would be equal for a constant width compression zone. The minor differences were due to different stress
corrections for the reinforcement in the compression zone. The Equ-R stress block was found to be up to
9% unconservative for the circular section, when compared with the EC2-P results, and up to 8%
conservative for the I-section. The maximum difference was with Grade 90 concrete, the differences
between the results being negligible at 32 MPa.
The Eurocode 2 rectangular stress block (EC2-R) surprisingly did not correlate well with the EC2-P curve.
With a rectangular section the EC2-R stress block gave the least conservative results with 32 MPa
concrete, and the most conservative with 90 MPa concrete.
The ACI 318 rectangular stress block gave almost identical results to AS 3600 with 32 MPa concrete, but
became unconservative for concrete strengths of 65 MPa and greater. The 90 MPa results were
significantly less conservative than any of the other curves, especially with the circular section.
With the rectangular cross section, the AS 3600 rectangular stress block was a little more conservative
than the EC2-P curve at 32 MPa, and very close over the full range of axial loads at 65 MPa and 90 MPa.
With the other sections it followed the same trend as the Equ-R stress block, being less conservative than
the EC2-P curve with the circular section and higher strength grades, and more conservative with the I-
section.
In summary, a rectangular stress block derived on a rational basis (the Equ-R stress block) gave almost
identical results to the Eurocode 2 Parabolic-Rectangular curve for all concrete strengths when used with
a rectangular section. The AS 3600 rectangular stress block gave almost identical results for the higher
concrete strengths, and slightly more conservative results with 32 MPa concrete, There is therefore no
great benefit in replacing the AS 3600 rectangular stress block with a more complex stress-strain curve for
use with a rectangular concrete section.
When used with non-rectangular sections however, all the rectangular stress blocks had significant
variations from the results of the EC2-P curve, being significantly less conservative with the circular
section, and significantly more conservative with the I section. For this reason Eurocode 2 Cl 3.1.7(3)
recommends that the concrete stress be reduced by 10% when the width of the compression zone
decreases in the direction of the extreme compression fibre (4). Since there is little additional
computational complexity in using a parabolic-linear stress block with non-rectangular sections it is
recommended that the Eurocode 2 parabolic-linear curve be adopted for all non-rectangular sections. For
compliance with AS 3600 Clause 3.1.4 the maximum stress must be taken as the characteristic cylinder
strength factored by 0.9. If it is desired to use the same curve with rectangular sections the parabolic-
linear curve may be conveniently converted to an equivalent rectangular stress block, which will generate
almost identical results. This procedure gave more consistent results than adopting the Eurocode 2
rectangular stress block.

6. References

1. SAI Global, “Concrete Structures (AS 3600-2009)”, Standards Australia, 2009, Sydney, Australia
2. SAI Global, “Bridge Design (AS 5100-2004)”, Standards Australia, 2004, Sydney, Australia
3. American Concrete Institute, “Building code requirements for structural concrete (ACI 318-05)”,
ACI Committee 318, 2005, Michigan.
4. European Committee for Standardisation, “Design of concrete structures, Part 1 (EN 1992-1-1)”,
CEN, 2004
5. SAI Global, “Concrete Structures (AS 3600-2001)”, Standards Australia, 2001, Sydney, Australia
6. Collins, M.P., Mitchell, D. and MacGregor, J.G., “Structurel Design Considerations for High-
Strength Concrete”, Concrete International: Design and Construction, 15(5), 1993, pp 27-34.